Who's who in Harper's cabinet
The ministers and their responsibilities
Cabinet as of January 2011
Ministers are listed in order of precedence, which is generally the length of service in Parliament.
| Portfolio | Minister | Riding | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Minister |  | Stephen Harper | Calgary Southwest, Alta. |
| Justice |  | Rob Nicholson | Niagara Falls, Ont. |
| Veterans Affairs and Minister of State (Agriculture) |  | Jean-Pierre Blackburn | Jonquière-Alma, Que. |
| Government leader in the Senate |  | Marjory LeBreton | Senate, Ont. |
| Transport, Infrastructure and Communities |  | Chuck Strahl | Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon, B.C. |
| Defence |  | Peter MacKay | Central Nova, N.S. |
| Treasury Board and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway |  | Stockwell Day | Okanagan-Coquihalla, B.C. |
| Public Safety |  | Vic Toews | Provencher, Man. |
| Public Works |  | Rona Ambrose | Edmonton-Spruce Grove, Alta. |
| Human Resources and Skills Development |  | Diane Finley | Haldimand-Norfolk, Ont. |
| International Co-operation |  | Bev Oda | Durham, Ont. |
| Government leader in the House of Commons |  | John Baird | Ottawa West-Nepean, Ont. |
| Foreign Affairs |  | Lawrence Cannon | Pontiac, Que. |
| Industry |  | Tony Clement | Parry Sound-Muskoka, Ont. |
| Finance |  | Jim Flaherty | Whitby-Oshawa, Ont. |
| Intergovernmental Affairs, president of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister for La Francophonie |  | Josée Verner | Louis-Saint-Laurent, Que. |
| International Trade |  | Peter Van Loan | York-Simcoe, Ont. |
| Agriculture and Agri-Food, Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board |  | Gerry Ritz | Battlefords-Lloydminster, Sask. |
| Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism |  | Jason Kenney | Calgary Southeast, Alta. |
| Natural Resources |  | Christian Paradis | Mégantic-L'Érable, Que. |
| Canadian Heritage and Official Languages |  | James Moore | Port Moody-Westwood-Port Coquitlam, B.C. |
| Health |  | Leona Aglukkaq | Nunavut |
| Labour |  | Lisa Raitt | Halton, Ont. |
| Fisheries and Oceans |  | Gail Shea | Egmont, P.E.I. |
| National Revenue, Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway |  | Keith Ashfield | Fredericton, N.B. |
| Indian Affairs and Northern Development |  | John Duncan | Vancouver Island North, B.C. |
| Environment |  | Peter Kent | Thornhill, Ont. |
| MINISTERS OF STATE | |||
| Sport |  | Gary Lunn | Saanich-Gulf Islands, B.C. |
| Chief government whip |  | Gordon O'Connor | Carleton-Mississippi Mills, Ont. |
| Foreign affairs (Americas) |  | Diane Ablonczy | Calgary-Nose Hill, Alta. |
| Transport |  | Rob Merrifield | Yellowhead, Alta. |
| Western economic diversification | Lynne Yelich | Blackstrap, Sask. | |
| Democratic reform | Steven Fletcher | Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia, Man. | |
| Science and technology, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario | Gary Goodyear | Cambridge, Ont. | |
| Economy Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec | Denis Lebel | Roberval-Lac-Saint-Jean, Que. | |
| Small business and tourism | Rob Moore | Fundy Royal, N.B. | |
| Finance | Ted Menzies | Macleod, Alta. | |
| Seniors | Julian Fantino | Vaughan, Ont. |
Cabinet as of October 2008
During Prime Minister Stephen Harper's first government, opposition parties tried to paint his Conservatives as having a weak, gaffe-prone cabinet.
For his second government, Harper made sweeping changes to his roster of ministers, in an apparent effort to project an image of a strong team in power.
More chairs were brought to the cabinet table. The size of Harper's cabinet swelled to 38 ministers from 32. Eleven were ministers of state, whose responsibilities are considered junior portfolios.
Some 'fine tuning'
Harper made some changes in January 2010, shifting a total of 10 positions.
The Prime Minister's Office described the shuffle as "fine-tuning," and none of the major ministers was shifted.
Among the changes: Stockwell Day was shifted from International Trade to the Treasury Board, Lisa Raitt moved from Natural Resources to Ministry to Labour and a vacancy left by retiring Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson was filled with MP Rob Moore of New Brunswick, a new addition to the cabinet.
Resignations and replacements
In April 2010, Helena Guergis resigned as the minister of state for the status of women, bringing the size of the cabinet to 37. Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose was asked to assume Guergis's cabinet responsibilities.
Jay Hill, the government House leader and longtime British Columbia MP, announced on July 21 that he wouldn't seek re-election in the next federal vote. That prompted a small cabinet change a few weeks later.
John Baird was chosen to replace Hill as House leader, while Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl moved into Baird's portfolio at Transport. B.C. MP John Duncan, Strahl's parliamentary secretary at Indian and Northern Affairs, was promoted to cabinet to take over from Strahl.
In November, Environment Minister Jim Prentice announced he is leaving politics to join the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. This move shrank the size of the cabinet to 36. House Leader John Baird was named interim environment minister.
Fantino, Menzies promoted
Ontario MP Julian Fantino became minister of state responsible for seniors in a minor January 2011 shuffle , weeks after winning a tight byelection in the Liberal stronghold of Vaughan. Ted Menzies was named minister of state for finance, swelling the cabinet ranks back up to 38.
Also promoted in the shuffle was Thornhill, Ont., MP Peter Kent, who moved into the high-profile environment portfolio. Dianne Ablonczy shifted into Kent's old role, becoming minister of state for the Americas.
By the numbers
There are 10 female ministers, up from seven in the last Conservative government of 2006-08. Women make up 26 per cent of the cabinet, slightly less than the ratio (30 per cent) in Paul Martin's Liberal cabinet in 2003-04.
The cabinet also reflects the Conservatives' electoral strength in Ontario, with 13 ministers representing the province at the table. Four ministers are from Atlantic Canada (although there are none from Newfoundland and Labrador).
Quebec and British Columbia can each claim five ministers while 10 hail from the Prairie provinces, and one, Leona Aglukkaq, comes from the North.
Ministers who left cabinet
- Greg Thompson, Veterans Affairs, retired in January 2010.
- Helena Guergis, minister of state for the status of women, resigned in April 2010.
- Jay Hill, government House leader, retired in July 2010.
- Jim Prentice, Environment, left politics in November 2010.